Pick of the harvest yields ‘voluptuous’ salads

We’re in that transitional phase of the year when we’re beyond lighter, cooler summer fare but not yet ready for the hearty comfort foods of winter. And our dinner tables seek a compromise.

What we need is a series of salads that celebrates the harvest, but offers a little more heft — arugula tossed with heirloom melon slices, prosciutto and ripe figs, for example, or last-of-the-season nectarines with haricots verts, cured ham and watermelon radishes.

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Salads are perfect seasonal dinner fodder any time of year, says Oakland, Calif., food writer and pastry chef Romney Steele, author of two cookbook-memoirs about life at Big Sur and Nepenthe, the iconic restaurant owned by her family.

She’s a self-described “big salad person,” because salads are all about texture, color and flavor, and offer an anything-goes palette for the palate.

But great food means matching what’s on your plate to what’s in the garden, she says. In other words, leave the spring peas for April and turn instead to autumn’s abundant bounty.

This is peak time for melons, late-season figs and wild greens. Tomatoes are still readily available, and fresh herbs are abundant. So Steele combines those vibrant purples, greens and reds in a composed September Salad, which still works in October (or November), adding paper-thin slices of prosciutto and drizzles of olive oil and oloroso sherry.

“That is a delicious salad,” she says. “It’s really about the imagination and using things that are voluptuous.”

Steele, who has a visual arts background, brings an artist’s eye to her newest book, “Plum Gorgeous” (Andrews McMeel, 178 pages, $25). Many of her edible masterpieces — and their recipes — were composed on the plate, where colorful fruits, salads and even cured meats come together.

There’s also an artistic element to the sweet corn and diced zucchini salad favored by restaurateur Eva Longoria.

The “Desperate Housewives” star — and author of the new “Eva’s Kitchen” (Clarkson Potter, 224 pages, $29.99) — took a series of classes at Los Angeles’ ArtBites recently that combined culinary inspiration with art history. Each class began at a museum and finished in the kitchen, with a dish inspired by, in this case, an exhibit on the Aztec culture, for whom corn and squash were dietary staples.

This Aztec-inspired salad bridges the seasons with colorful flair. Add some crumbled feta or queso fresco, or serve it with crostini, spread with fresh ricotta and drizzled with olive oil, and that corn-zucchini salad can play an entree role, too.

And when the fog and chill roll in, restaurateur and Food Network star Bobby Flay suggests an autumnal salad with roasted wild mushrooms, quinoa, aged goat cheese and a caramelized shallot marmalade. In his newest cookbook, “Bobby Flay’s Bar Americain Cookbook” (Clarkson Potter, 262 pages, $35), Flay describes his salad, in all its deep russet browns and caramel tones, as a “comforting salad,” earthy, sweet and tangy all at once.

Perfect, in short, for fall.

SEPTEMBER SALAD

Servings: 4 to 6 as a starter

1 ripe heirloom melon

1/3 pound thinly sliced prosciutto

8 to 12 ripe figs, halves

Handful of arugula leaves

Opal basil leaves

Spearmint leaves

Handful of almonds, sliced and lightly toasted

½ cup vine-ripened cherry tomatoes

¼ cup oloroso sherry (see note below)

Extra virgin olive oil

Coarse sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Peel, seed and thinly slice the melon (use just half, if it’s substantial), then arrange the slices on a large platter. Drape the prosciutto over the top and scatter with the figs, arugula and a few leaves of basil and spearmint, torn or slivered if they are large. Sprinkle with the almonds and tomatoes.

Warm the sherry in a small pan over low heat for just a minute. (Tip: If you do not have sherry wine, you may substitute good-quality sherry vinegar, although less of it, and a pinch of sugar.) Transfer to a small bowl, and swirl in olive oil to taste. Drizzle over the salad. Season with salt and pepper.

– Romney Steele, “Plum Gorgeous” (Andrews McMeel, 178 pages, $25)

CORN AND ZUCCHINI SALAD

Servings: 6 to 8

5 ears corn, shucked

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

2 cups zucchini, cut in ¼-inch dice

½ teaspoon kosher salt

¼ cup finely chopped red onion

1½ tablespoons apple cider vinegar

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

½ cup chopped fresh cilantro or basil

Prepare a large bowl of ice water and set aside. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the corn to the boiling water, cover and remove from heat. Let stand 3-5 minutes. Drain and immerse the corn in the ice water to stop the cooking. When cool, cut the kernels from the cob, cutting close to the cob. Place the kernels in a large bowl.

In a small skillet over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the zucchini and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring, until tender, about 4 minutes. Add the zucchini to the bowl with the corn.

Add the red onion, vinegar, oil, remaining salt and pepper. Just before serving, toss in the herbs. Taste, adjust the seasoning as needed, and serve cold or at room temperature.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place mushrooms in a roasting pan, toss with 2 tablespoons olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast, stirring a few times, until golden brown, 25 minutes.

Whisk together the remaining ½ cup oil, vinegar, thyme and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Reserve 3 tablespoons of the vinaigrette.

Add the warm mushrooms to remaining vinaigrette, season with salt and pepper, and stir to combine. Let marinate at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.

Rinse the quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer under cold running water for 1 minute. Drain well. Transfer to a medium saucepan. Add 2 cups cold water and 1 teaspoon salt; cover and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cook until quinoa is tender and water has evaporated, 18 minutes. Turn off heat and let stand for 10 minutes, without lifting the cover. Stir quinoa into the marinated mushrooms.

Toss the greens with the reserved vinaigrette. Divide among 4 large plates. Top with the quinoa-mushroom salad. Drizzle with truffle oil, if using, season with pepper and garnish with parsley leaves.

Spread some of the caramelized shallots over the toasted bread. Top with a slice of cheese. Place 3 around the perimeter of each plate.

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